At the California Economic Summit hosted by California Forward, Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the CalOSBA, a division of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), introduced the full roster of the 2022 Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Task Force (EEMTF) on 27th October 2022.

Key Takeaways:

• At the California Economic Summit, which was organized by California Forward, director of the CalOSBA Tara Lynn Gray moderated a plenary panel discussion. 
• By recommending laws and programs, the 2022 Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Task Force (EEMTF) hopes to promote inclusive entrepreneurship. 
• The California Office of the Small Business Advocate supports the Task Force. It serves as a conduit for SMBs to support California’s ongoing leadership in innovation.

2022 Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Task Force (EEMTF)

The 2022 Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Task Force (EEMTF) aims to promote inclusive entrepreneurship by suggesting laws and initiatives that ensure all California small businesses have access to the resources they need to expand and flourish.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to tap into the experiences and perspectives of these thirty-four Task Force members to help address the challenges faced by small business owners,” said Director Gray. Our roster has been carefully curated to represent the diversity of background, geography, and perspective that make California so powerful on the global stage. Together we will form a bridge to small businesses and help California maintain its entrepreneurial and innovation leadership.”

Director Gray also led a plenary panel discussion about California’s economy at the California Economic Summit. The discussion included Lorraine Salazar, a second-generation partner of Sal’s Mexican Restaurants in the Central Valley, Carolina Martinez, CEO of CAMEO, and Jason Paguio, President and CEO of the Asian Business Association San Diego and the Asian Business Association Foundation.

Driving Economic Mobility in California

The driving reason behind the California Dream is entrepreneurship. Californians’ propensity for creativity and willingness for risk are competitive assets that have helped them develop the fifth-largest economy in the world.

The California Office of the Small Business Advocate supports the Task Force, which acts as a conduit for SMBs to support California’s continued leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship.

The 2022 Entrepreneurship and Economic Mobility Task Force’s initiatives and outputs will build on the work of the 2019 Entrepreneurship Task Force and concentrate on three key topics: 

• Democratizing Access to Capital.
• The innovation economy must be diversified.
• Promoting entrepreneurship to increase economic mobility.

Members of the 2022 EEMTF

Lenny Mendonca, a small business owner in Half Moon Bay and a former chief economic and business advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom, was chosen as the Task Force’s chair. 

The vice chairs are Maria S. Salinas, president, and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and Gurinder S. Ahluwalia, director of Hightower Advisors and a co-founder of the fintech capital markets firm 280 CapMarkets.

CalOSBA and CDFI Access Plus Capital presented a breakfast for attendees of the California Economic Summit. The latter were members of the 2022 EEMTF, local Chambers of Commerce, and small business owners to honor the new members.

CalOSBA’s Virtual Event to Cover the State of the Office

A virtual Open House took place in the first week of October to overview the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA)’s mission and a walkthrough of other programs. It was a chance to get a tailored explanation of why Governor Newsom’s administration prioritizes supporting small businesses.

Read Here: CalOSBA Virtual Event to Cover State of the Office

Startempire Wire

Wrap Up!

CalOSBA has released the 2022 Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Task Force members, a branch of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) (EEMTF). The EEMTF seeks to advance inclusive entrepreneurship by recommending policies and programs to ensure all California small companies have access to the resources they require to grow and prosper.